Man United are still a team and a club that are very much in transition at present, and that’ll continue until Sir Jim Ratcliffe takes over football operations at the club.
It’s believed that over the course of the next few weeks, the finer details of the deal that he’s done with the Glazer family will be finalised, and he should therefore be in place early into the new year.
The upheaval that’s occurred on the pitch thus far in 2023/24 could potentially be matched by what goes on in the boardroom once Sir Jim arrives, and CaughtOffside columnist, Fabrizio Romano, believes big changes could be afoot.
‘The feeling at United is that there could be a big change in terms of the board and in terms of the operations at Manchester United,’ he wrote in his exclusive Daily Briefing.
‘It means a new sporting director, so the whole transfer process could change at the club with people coming from Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS Group.
‘[…] Manchester United will look at multiple options and a decision on any changes will be made internally once Sir Jim is at the club.’
It’s difficult to know at this stage just how brutal Sir Jim wishes to be.
Whilst it’s accepted that he’ll likely want to bring some of his own people into certain positions, wholesale changes could upset the equilibrium and that’s certainly something Sir Jim won’t need on his plate as soon as he takes up his position.
Equally, if he feels that what he proposes will be of benefit to the club in the short, medium and longer-term, then those are decisions he needs to make.
From a supporter perspective, the Old Trafford faithful will surely be waiting on tenterhooks to see if Sir Jim’s reign will be the start of something special or another false dawn.